Colo. Could Be More Critical Than in 2008 Race

The presidential race is tightening in Colorado, according to several recent polls, and the state could end up playing a more critical role in deciding the next president than it did in 2008 as an important swing state for Barack Obama.

Polls show Obama either tied with Mitt Romney or leading the Republican by a narrow 2-point margin, putting the state in the toss-up category along with a handful of others that, according to the Denver Post, “are truly up for grabs” this year.

Florida and Ohio may be considered the most important states this year by both campaigns because of their sizable electoral votes, the Post reported Monday.

But both campaigns may be counting on Colorado, in combination with the other Western states of Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico to give them the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency.

“If you look at the map, Colorado and Nevada are two of the true battleground states,” Ethan Axelrod of Project New America, a progressive Denver-based research and strategy organization, told the newspaper. “Both states are still very, very close, and I think they’re going to stay that way until November.”

Officials in the two campaigns have already put Colorado on a short, seven- to eight-state list of battlegrounds they believe they will have to win in November to claim the White House, according to the Post.